Premium
'I know his needs better than my own' – carers’ support needs when caring for a person with dementia
Author(s) -
Clemmensen Trine Holt,
Lauridsen Henrik Hein,
AndersenRanberg Karen,
Kristensen Hanne Kaae
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/scs.12875
Subject(s) - dementia , focus group , needs assessment , psychology , nursing , qualitative research , special needs , mental health , medicine , psychiatry , disease , social science , pathology , marketing , sociology , business
Background Caring for a person with dementia predisposes informal carers (carers) to mental and physical disability. Carers tend to focus on the needs of the person with dementia and have difficulties expressing their own needs for support. No instrument has yet been developed to directly assess carers’ support needs. The aim of this study is to clarify the main categories of carers’ support needs to inform future development of an instrument to assess carers’ support needs. Methods A qualitative approach combining focus group interviews with carers and professionals and individual interviews were used. Results Carers’ support needs were categorised into four areas: (i) daily life when caring for a person with dementia, (ii) focus on themselves, (iii) maintain own well‐being, and (iv) communicate and interact with surroundings. Discussion Carers have support needs in common regardless of the relation to the person with dementia. Carers tend to focus on the needs of the person with dementia, thus not knowing their own needs. The four main categories clarified in this study may inform the foundation of developing an instrument to facilitate dialogue between carers and professionals with the purpose of assessing carers’ support needs.